'It actually really works:' This diet is more than a fad for Mama June after she lost 300 pounds

Mama June is back on the small screen as of Friday, with the return of season two of her WeTV reality series Mama June: From Not to Hot. The series, which originated as a show that let audiences in on Mama June’s journey to a 300-pound weight loss, is picking back up with the family’s current chaos. But what the mother of four seems most anxious for people to see is that she hasn’t been able to keep all of that weight off.

As she prepares for a mother-daughter beauty pageant with her youngest daughter Alana Thompson, better known as Honey Booboo, Mama June will quickly realize that she’s not in the same shape that she was when the weight first came off. However, she takes pride in the fact that she’s sharing the difficult moments — such as trying to squeeze into a size-8 dress — on camera, to an audience who can find it relatable.

“I have gained some weight back. I’ve gained about 25 pounds,” Mama June says while on the BUILD stage. “I can’t believe I gained a little bit more weight than I thought I did in the last few weeks. But I think that’s what people love about us, is that we are so real.”

In addition, Mama June’s journey is only becoming more relatable, as she seems to have ditched her celebrity trainer, Kenya Crooks, and is instead maintaining her weight goals with the help of the ketogenic diet. The eating regimen known for being high-fat and low-carb is gaining popularity across the country. According to Mama June, it’s not too hard, and it seriously works.

“I’ve tried the keto diet, and it’s not that bad,” she explains. “It’s like cheese, eggs, the protein, the meat. And you honestly lose weight with that.”

For the 38-year-old who says she “can’t stand” bread and pasta, it’s not a huge surprise that the low-carb regimen works for her. However, despite her own success, Mama June still recognizes that different people need to try different things.

“I’m not here to tell people how to diet because everybody’s different,” she explains. “But I know what has worked for me, and I think that people just don’t need to give up, and I think that’s what happens with a lot of diets nowadays. Because I’ve gave up.”

After facing the obstacle of multiple eye surgeries resulting from Cataracts, Mama June seems ready to get herself back into shape and on the pageant stage.